Yes it is very common. Once my husband was diagnosed in mid-August, everyone we have spoken to about it told of a brother/father/uncle/grandpa etc etc who has not only got pc, but has been living for years with it without it causing them any problems whatsoever!

In some ways, we were really pleased to hear about this. It's good to hear of people continuing to have long and healthy lives despite the cancer

In other ways though, it almost seemed like some people were trivialising what was a shocking diagnosis.

I read in one of your earlier posts that your cancer had metastasized to your bones - the same with my husband - and although we are fully prepared to go into battle with this sly and insidious enemy, we are fully aware that trivial it is not!

At the end of the day, I think most people came up with their own examples to try to make us feel better about the diagnosis.

pc is rife in men of a 'certain age' though, and as doctors know what causes it (unlike nearly all the other cancers) surely it can't be too long before a cure is found?

I think a big part of the new discoveries is our peer age group as well. As we age, we are likely to know many others our own age. Since 1 in 6 men will have PCa, our peer age group raises the chances we know someone with PCa.

In addition, now that many of my friends know that I have PCa, they share with me that they or their husband has it too. There are two or three friends of mine who had already been dx'd or treated for PCa that I had no idea about prior to my surgery.

Doctors don't know what all the causes of any cancer is for certain. There are some causes defined but, most suspected causes are not much more than theories. Today, most of the early PCa detections, as well as the increased numbers of diagnosed cases, are due to improved testing methods, not increasing cancer. The same number of men that had cancer cells 20 years ago are still there probably. Testing methods have improved to the point of finding tens of thousands more of those cases. While more cases are indeed being detected, PCa is also being controlled (and often cured) more often than most other cancers. The question is....Can we get to the point of prevention so as to reduce the numbers of advanced cases from occuring? Even more exciting, prevent prostate cancer all together :>) I sure hope so.

That's funny War-Eagle!
And I couldn't agree more. In my circle of friends, all kinds of cancers seem to be going around like the flu -- from esophageal to colon to prostate, to melanoma. The good news is, everyone I know with cancer is doing well after treatment.
Swim is right, it's a matter of early detection -- the advent of the PSA test was a biggie. Like my sister said recently, "Years ago, nobody even knew what a prostate was."
Once you're in a club though, other members tend to come out of the woodwork. I first noticed this trend when my wife and I adopted our son in 1994. All of a sudden we were hearing from neighbors, co-workers etc. who had also adopted kids but never discussed it with us before. Before I had PCa, I only knew one guy who'd had it. Once I put the word on the street, I got to know a whole bunch, real quick.
My father died almost 40 years ago from "lung cancer" at age 49 and back then, detailed pathologies and autopsies were a rarity. Diagnostics at the time (meaning X-rays) revealed a "small spot" on his lung. Then, the surgeon opened him up, eyeballed the extent of the cancer in his lungs; closed him up and sent him home. The surgeon told us he believed the cancer was related to genetics. For a few years prior, I remember my dad being unable to ride more than maybe 25 miles in a car without having to stop and pee. I was a teenager and didn't think much of it. But today, I wonder if his primary cancer might have actually been prostate cancer that m etastasized to his lungs.
And as far as early detection back in the day -- forget it! Our family doctor was a guy who'd give you a clean bill of health as long as you were warm and breathing.
We've come a long way.
D.O.B - 8/9/52
PSA: First ever was 9.8 in late Oct. ‘06, two weeks later, 10.1
DRE: Negative
Biopsy results 11/22/06. Both lobes involved. Six out of eight cores positive - from 100 percent to 90, to 60, to 50, two 20s and two zeros.
Gleason 3+3 = 6
Da Vinci Robotic RP surgery, City of Hope , Jan 12, 2007
Post surgery pathology – Organ confined, Gleason still 6, margins clear. Volume of tumor much less than biopsy suggested. 14 percent overall.
First post-surgery PSA -- Undetectable, 2/20/07
Second post-surgery PSA -- Undetectable, 9/11/07 Post Edited (PianoMan) : 9/15/2007 3:45:04 PM (GMT-6)

I'm sorry if I made it sound like doctors know everything about prostate cancer so they can cure it just like that. I certainly didn't mean it to sound so flippant. Its just that the consultant my husband saw told him that they had a good chance of finding a permanent cure soon as they knew the cancer was hormone driven.

Maybe he was just trying to make us feel better, but anyway, that's what he told us

It wasn't flippant at all. We all get frustrated. When I went to the surgeon 6 months ago, we were talking about that being my last HT. Then the rise in my PSA. As you will see from others here, once the doc's can get a fix on it they can knock it out. We have a lot on zero's floating around this forum. That gives us all hope.

Hi wareagle and the group. A number of years ago my friend and police academy roommate had been retired less that a year when he found out he had kidney cancer. He did not make it a full year after he retired. Another good friend with the same agency died with cancer before he retired. Since I retired from the same agency another friend died of lung cancer and recently another friend has died of breast cancer. I asked my personal doctor before I retired to test me and make sure I didn't haave cancer. He said I was his first patient to volunteer for a rectal exam. I told him I wanted to know. Since I found out about my PC I have learned that two people working for the same agency and 5 other retired people have had PC. Maybe it just the aging process, maybe something else. Just keep on doing what you do to stay healthy.

This is a very interesting conversation about how many people are finding they have cancer. When Rick was told he had a very aggressive advanced cancer we were in shock. He had been checked at is annual check-up 8 months prior. Rick contracted spinal menigitius in July 2005 during a spinal operation we went thru 4 weeks of pure hell and he almost died. We got the menigitius cleaned up and he was told he had prostate cancer in February 2007. I think that the spinal menigitius triggered the prostate cancer. He has no family history of it. Just food for thought.

I'm sure that my experience will sound familiar. I thought that there was no history of PC in my family until after I was diagnosed. I now know that there has been several cases, but people didn't talk about it in previous generations. My sons were told immediately about the Parkinsons and the PC. No symptoms doesn't mean no doctor visits and no yearly tests.

there is an old thread in the archived section that talks about the incidence of prostate cancer in men. by age 50 about 30% of men have detectable cancer. Many of those have slow growing variety that would allow the man to die of something else. the problem is no one wants to bet on what variety we have.

56 year old male. 02/06 PSA 5.5 Subsequent Gleason 3+3=6 DaVinci Surgery 7/06 fully contained, nerve bundles spared, returned to work (desk) 1 day after surgery, cath removed 7/12, no pad - 1 week after cath removal, occas leaks 6mo post opp after long day. No ED prior to surgery. ED since, some improvement 12 mo post op, tried all three Drugs, they help some. Found out about pump --here-- 6mo post op, it was a blessing. Getting ready to try shots.

Sometimes it almost seems like an epidemic. In my small town of 5,000, from September 06 to Dec 06, 5 of us were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Only one had a family history of prostate cancer. 3 of us were late 40's early 50's, 2 were in 60's. Must be something in the water. I know of at least 5 others in this town who have had it earlier. one reason might me when one person get's it, then a lot of men start getting checked. don't know if we are getting it more or just finding it earlier due to psa's.

ron

diagnosed sept 06

gleason 3+4=7, right lobe only

psa 4.7

Told not to have surgery at Dana Farber as cancer had already penetrated prostate, in seminal vesicles, would have positive margins. Would only treat with radiation and HT

Prostate cancer is finally likened to breast cancer in women - it is finally out in the open and people are finally willing to talk about it and, hopefully we'll soon see, willing to put funds behind finding a cure.

I also think that men are finally getting tested earlier than the "standard" age of 50 - my husband was well under 50 when tested and diagnosed - if he had waited he would be six years further into the disease - how scary is that?

Knowing what I know now, and knowing that my boys are at a 50% increased risk, they will have their first PSA screening at the age of 30!

Since men are being tested and diagnosed earlier, there are more statistics out there which is a good thing - men can no longer be modest about this disease and with more fundraisers like the "Underwear Affair" for cancers below the waist fundraising run/walk they are finally getting the funding they deserve.